The two teams have a long history and have met previously in two finals in 2014 and 2016 both were won by ATK. Kochi's Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium was a sea of yellow and the home side gave its fans a lot to celebrate by winning the highly contested game 2-1 and setting a standard for the ongoing season.
The fans also witnessed high octane performances by Bollywood superstars Tiger Shroff and Disha Patani who grooved to their superhit tracks and joined in the celebrations.
There has been a consistent rise in the fan following for Indian football in the country and the ISL, the premier football league of India, has been at the heart of this revolution getting bigger and better with each passing year.
A seven month wait ended with the highly anticipated season opener that had fans glued to their TV and mobile screens which was broadcast in 7 languages and 20 channels. This season with the inclusion of the two new teams, Hyderabad FC and Odisha FC, the ISL will see more diverse fan cultures and an increase in the footprint of Indian football in new frontiers.
Opening with a flying start, the ISL will be bigger and better than ever before, with more audiences expected to tune-in to catch their favourite teams battle for the championship and coveted AFC Champions League play-offs spot.
( With inputs from IANS )